French Conversation · Level 67
60 words
French word
civiliser
Pronunciation
IPA/sivilize/
Meaning
- verbcivilize
Example
Il est faux de vouloir civiliser une autre culture sans la comprendre.
It is wrong to try to civilize another culture without understanding it.
More examples
On ne peut pas civiliser une communauté en ignorant son histoire.
You cannot civilize a community by ignoring its history.
Core concept
A society's customs and institutions are gradually reshaped to fit an accepted model of civilization.
Similar words
éduquer: To provide a child or person with knowledge, manners, and guidance.
socialiser: To familiarize children or newcomers with social rules and acceptable behavior.
intégrer: To incorporate a person or group into a society or organization.
moderniser: To bring old institutions or facilities up to date with current practices.
Definition in French
Transformer progressivement les mœurs, les institutions ou les pratiques d'un groupe pour les aligner sur ce qui est considéré comme civilisé.
Word origin
French civiliser comes from civil, from Latin civilis, 'of a citizen', with the suffix -iser forming a verb meaning to make civil or civilized.
Usage tips
- Civiliser is formal and can carry a colonial or critical tone when it assigns one culture's standards as the measure of civilization.
Opposites
- barbariserbarbarizeverb
Related words
- civilisationcivilizationnoun
- civilisécivilizedadjective